Game apparatus.



D. C. MITCHELL.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED 1330.8, 1908.

Patented May '10, 1910.

DWIGHT CHARLES MITCHELL, 0F GASPORT, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DWIGHT C. MrrormLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gasport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in game apparatus.

The object of the presentinvention is to improve the construction of game apparatus, and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive one, adapted for either indoors or outdoors, and capable of affording both exercise and amusement.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus of this character, adapted to combine features of the game of bowling with some of base ball and other like games, and capable of increasing the sport incident to bowling by causing the ball rolled or thrown by the player to release ball throwing mechanism, which projects a ball in the direction of the player to be caught by him.

With these and other objects in View, the

invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that vari ous changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing :F igure 1 is a perspective view of a game apparatus, constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, showing one of the ball-throwing devices set and another ball-throwing device tripped. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of one of the ball-throwing devices and the setting mechanism therefor. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the movable-members, showing the means for tripping the ballthrowing devices.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing.

The game apparatus comprises in its construction a frame including a pair of hori zontally disposed supporting cross bars 1 and 2 and end supports consisting of vertical Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 10, 1910.

I Application filed December 8, 1908. Serial No. 466,513.

posts or standards 3, inclined braces 4 and 5 and bars 6 and 7 connecting the inclined braces 4.- with each other and with the post 3. The supporting bars 1 and 2, which are arranged in spaced relation, are suitably secured at their ends to the upper portions K of the post 3, and the inclined braces 4: have their lower ends arranged a short distance in rear of the lower ends of the post 3. The bars 6, which are short, are located at the opposite sides of the supporting frame, and are secured to the inner edges of the post 3 and the braces 4 at the lower ends thereof. The bar 7 extends across the frame in rear of the posts and is secured to the lower ends of the inclined braces 4. The inclined braces 5, which are secured at their upper ends to the post 3 and the braces l at the upper terminals thereof, extend rearwardly beyond the braces i and are provided at their lower ends with means for supporting them on the floor or other supporting surface. Strap hinges 8 may be conveniently employed for this purpose, but the frame may be fastened to the supporting surface in any other preferred manner. The cross bar 2, which is located below the cross bar 1, forms a support for a transverse series of movable target members 9, arranged in spaced relation and connected at their upper ends with the cross bar 2 by suitable hinges 10, adapted to permit the members to swing rearwardly from a perpendicular position. The members which have their lower ends arranged near the supporting surface are designed to be struck by a ball 11, rolled or bowled along the floor, or other supporting surface and are preferably five in number.

The game apparatus is designed in practice to be manufactured in a large variety of sizes to adapt it for both indoor and outdoor use and for both children and adults. It may be made of suflicient size to admit of the use of large bowling balls of the usual construction, and when manufactured in this manner, the game apparatus is designed to be equipped with a suitable trough for enabling a boy to return the balls to the players. The members take the place of the bowling pins, and in practice there will be insufficient space between the pins to permit a ball to pass between them, so that a player may hit two members with one ball. In practice each player will be permitted to roll three balls, and it will be apparent that in each frame the player may make a spare,

split, etc., corresponding with similar plays in bowling. \Vhen all five members are struck by a player in any one frame, the scoring is designed to be analogous to that of bowling, and the player will add to his score the number made on the first ball of his neXt play. The game apparatus is' also designed to be made for use as a toy, and it can be supported in an elevated position, and ordinary base balls may be thrown at the pendent target members.

The members 9 are provided with rearwardly extending horizontal arms 12, adapted to engage setting mechanism to trip ballthrowing devices, whereby when the player strikes one of the pendent members 9, a ball throwing device corresponding to the member struck will be tripped, and a ball 13 will be thrown through the air in the direction of the player. The catching of the ball thrown in the direction of the player constitutes a portion of the game. The balls 13, which are thrown through the air, are designed to be relatively light and to be constructed of rubber, or other suitable material.

The ball-throwing devices are mounted on the transverse bar 1 at the rear face thereof, and they consist of cylindrical cups or holders 14, secured tospring arms 15, which are arranged to oscillate for throwing the balls 13. The spring arms are connected with springs 16, preferably by being formed integral therewith, and the springs are composed of opposite coils, arranged on rods or members 17, which are stapled or otherwise secured to the bar 1. The ball holders lt, which are constructed of sheet metal, or other suitable material, are provided at the bottom with sleeves 18, which are soldered, or otherwise secured to the oscillatory spring arms. The spring wire, or other material is doubled at the center to form the arm 15 and is coiled at opposite sides of the inner end of the arm to form the spring, and the terminals of the wire are secured to the bar 1. The outer end of the arm 15 receives an eye 19 of a hook 20, adapted to engage a fixed eye 21, mounted on the transverse bar 7. The hooks 20, which have elongated shanks, constitute setting devices for holding the spring arms in a set position, and the arms 12 constitute tripping devices for engaging the setting mechanism to release the ball-throwing devices. The arms 12 are provided at their inner or front ends with attaching portions 22, arranged at right angles to the arms 12 and extending clownwardly therefrom and secured to the rear faces of the movable members. The outer or rear ends of the arms 12 are provided with notches 23 for enabling the arms to straddle the hooks and positively engage the same to disconnect them from the eye 21 of the bar 7.

The game apparatus is set or arranged for use by engaging the hooks of the ball-throwing devices with the eyes of the bar 7, the arms 12 being in advance of and in position for engaging the hooks 20. The ball-hold ing' devices are supplied with the balls 13 and the player rolls or throws one of the balls at 11, at the members 8. Should the ball 11 strike one of the members 9 with sufficient force to trip the corresponding ballthrowing device, the latter when released will swing upwardly and forwardly and throw the ball 13 through the air in the direction of. the player. The game may be played: in a mannerclosely analogous to the game of bowling, and it is not only adapted to amuse thev players, but considerable exercise is afforded through the throwing of the balls 11 and the catching of the balls 13.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1., A game apparatus of the class described including a plurality of upright movable ball actuated members arranged in a row transverse to the direction of the line of, movement of the ball, which is propelled manually, a plurality of ball-throwing devices to throw a ball forward in the direction of a player, means for actuating the ball-throwing devices, and means ope-rated by the upright members for releasing the ball-throwing devices.

2. A game apparatus of the class described including a plurality of upright movable ball actuated members arranged in a row transverse to the direction of the line of movement of the ball, and a plurality of ball-throwing devices located in rear of the said members and connected with and set in motion by the same to throw a ball upward and forward over the said members in the direction of the player.

3. A game apparatus of the class described including a plurality of upright ball actuated members movable backwardly and forwardly and arranged in a row transverse to the direction of the line of movement of the ball, and a plurality of normally com cealed ball-throwing devices located in rear of and connected with and set in motion by the said members to throw a ball forward over the said members in the direction of a player.

4. A game apparatus of the class described including a plurality of pendent oscillatory ball actuated members movable backwardly and forwardly and arranged in a row transverse to the line of movement of a ball, and a plurality of ball-throwing devices connected with the said members and set in motion by the rearward movement thereof to throw a ball forward over the said members in the direction of a player.

' 5. A game apparatus of the class described comprising a frame, a plurality of upright members hinged to and suspended from the frame and movable backwardly and forwardly, said members being arranged in a transverse row, and a plurality of ball-throwing devices arranged at the back of the frame and mounted thereon and set in motion by the rearward movement of the said members.

6. A game apparatus of the class described including a frame, a plurality of upright oscillatory members suspended from the frame and arranged in a transverse row, and a plurality of ball-throwing devices consisting of spring actuated arms mounted on the frame and provided with ball holders and arranged to throw a ball over the members toward a player, and means for setting the arms arranged to be tripped by the rearward movement of the said members.

7. A game apparatus of the class described including a plurality of movable members, ball-throwing devices consisting of oscillatory arms, springs connected with the arms for actuating the same, and holders having sleeves secured to the arms, and means for setting and tripping the ball throwing devices.

8. A game apparatus of the class described including a plurality of upright ball actuated members movable backwardly and forwardly and arranged in a transverse row, a plurality of ball-throwing devices located in rear of the said members and arranged to throw a ball upwardly over the same,

means for setting the ball-throwing devices, and arms extending from the said members and arranged to engage the said setting means to release the ball-throwing devices when the members are moved backward.

9. A game apparatus of the class described including a plurality of upright ball actuated members arranged in a transverse row and movable backwardly and forwardly, a plurality of ball-throwing devices including spring actuated arms arranged to throw a ball forward over the said members, a series of fixed eyes, hooks carried by the ball throwing devices and arranged to engage the eyes to set the said devices, and means carried by the said members for disengaging the hooks from the eyes when the members are moved rearward.

10. A game apparatus of the class described including a plurality of upright ball actuated members arranged in a transverse row and movable backwardly and forwardly, a plurality of ball-throwing devices including spring actuated arms arranged to throw a ball forward over the said members, a series of fixed eyes, hooks carried by the ballthrowing devices and arranged to engage the eyes to set the said devices, and arms carried by and extending rearwardly from the members and provided wit-h notches receiving the said hooks, said arms being adapted to disengage the hooks from the eyes when the members are moved rearward.

11. A game apparatus of the class described including a frame, a plurality of movable striking members located at the front of the frame and disposed transversely of the same, a plurality of ball-throwing devices mounted on the frame and located above and in rear of the said members, means for setting the ballthrowing devices, and tripping mechanism operable by the members for releasing the ball-throwing devices whcn the members are struck.

12. A game apparatus of the class described comprising a frame including spaced upper supporting bars, and a lower supporting bar arranged in rear of the upper bars, a plurality of movable members hinged to and depending from one of the upper supporting bars, a series of ball-throwing devices mounted on the other upper supporting bar, setting mechanism composed of members mounted on the lower supporting bar, and other cooperating members carried by the ball-throwing devices, and means extending rearwardly from the movable members and carried by the same and adapted when the said members are struck to engage the setting mechanism for releasing the ballthrowing devices.

13. A game apparatus of the class de scribed including a frame, a row of upright members arranged in spaced relation and having their lower ends located near the ground or other supporting surface and movable backwardly and forwardly and adapted to be struck by a ball thrown by a player, and concealed ball-throwing devices connected with the said members and set in motion by the same to throw a ball toward the player when the members are moved rearward from their normal position.

14. The combination wit-h the supporting frame-work, a plurality of upright movable ball actuated members hinged at their upper ends to the framework and arranged in a row transverse to the direction of the movement of the ball, which is propelled manually, and a plurality of ball-throwing devices connected with and set in motion by the movement of the ball actuated members to throw a ball forward in the direction of a player.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DWIGHT CHARLES MITCHELL.

Witnesses HENRY H. VVILooX, ELIZABETH LAHEY. 

